Love Lines
by fabrevansshipper
Summary: Quinn is trying to get over last year's drama but what happens when the new kid in town causes an old flame to attempt to win her back. Sam/Quinn/Puck fanfic. CHAPTER 6 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone!**

**I'm back with another fic, but this time its a multi-chap fic.**

**Of course, it will be about our beloved Fabrevans and Quick.**

**Please forgive this messy chapter, I wanted to establish their characters first.**

**I promise, the next one will be better.**

**Don't forget to read my other story too!**

**Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee**

**...**

It was a boring Monday evening in the Fabray residence. Quinn found herself reclining on the couch, watching the new episodes of 90210 and Gossip Girl. School was back for another year and after her long summer of working out and rehabilitating herself, the first day of junior year went better than Quinn had expected.

"Honey, dinner's ready," her mom called out from the dining room.

Quinn tinkered with the remote and set the TiVo to record the show. She got up from the couch and entered the dining room. A tinge of sadness still remains every time she sees that only two places were set. She missed her father.

"Sit down and eat," Judy Fabray invited.

Quinn sat down across from her mother and after saying grace, they began to eat the food Judy had cooked. Dinner was quiet for the most part. The silence was only broken when Quinn complimented her mother's cooking.

"Oh Quinn, do you mind cleaning the guest room? I need the room to be empty," Judy told her daughter.

"Are we having guests over?" Quinn asked, uninterested.

"You remember Uncle John?"

"Your friend from college, right?" Quinn looked up from her plate.

"Yeah, well, he has a son who's moving to McKinley. He used to study at some boarding school around the city but he didn't like it there. So his dad agreed that he could move in to a regular high school."

"Oh really?" Quinn replied, showing minimal signs of interest.

"Mhm. I should've told you this earlier," Judy said, regretful. "His son is moving in with us for a while - just until he gets an apartment. He'll be using the guest room in the meantime."

_Great_, Quinn thought. A complete stranger living with them - a boy no less. After all that went down last year, Quinn just wanted to go back to her normal life. She had her mind set. She would get herself back in the Cheerios, she would get straight A's, and most of all, she would continue ignoring Puck – and no boy would get in the way of that.

"Sure, mom," Quinn answered. "Santana's coming over tomorrow. Hopefully I can get her to help me out."

**...**

Quinn had spent half an hour wiping the table tops, sweeping the floor, changing the bed sheets, preparing new towels. As if cheerleading practice earlier wasn't tiring enough, she had to rearrange the furniture in the bed room. _Why can't this guy just clean the room himself. Why do I have to clean up for him?_

"I'm so drowning myself in the hot tub later," Quinn thought about how much her body was gonna ache after doing so much housework. "Santana! Won't you please give me a hand here!"

Santana was out in the living room watching TV. No matter how much Quinn asked her, there was no way the Latina was getting her hands dirty. Their afternoon of hanging out and gossiping about their summers turned into an afternoon of Quinn cleaning the room by herself with her friend not being useful. At all. After what seemed like the whole day, Quinn was done cleaning and she gave one last look over the whole room and she was satisfied.

"Thank god," she sighed happily. "This guy better appreciate me cleaning this room."

"I'm sure he will," a voice said from behind her.

Quinn instantly turned around to see a tall, blonde boy standing by the doorway.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he smiled. "I'm Sam, John Evans's son. I was gonna wait out in the living room but your friend, Santana said you were here…she left, by the way. She had to meet a girl, Brittany, I think her name was…"

Quinn stood frozen, trying to keep up with this boy's words. He was blabbering too fast about Santana, he couldn't keep up with his words.

"…I think Santana was hitting on me. She kept looking at me with this smirk. Oh well," he finally finished. "Aren't you gonna tell me your name?"

"I'm Quinn," she shyly extended her hand and he took it in his for a handshake. "I didn't know you were moving in today."

"I talked to your mom earlier and she told to just come over whenever because you would be here to let me in. Sorry to just drop in unexpected. Well, sort of…"

It was quiet and awkward between the two. Unfortunately for Quinn, it was Monday and her mom was usually out until late in the evening. While they quietly stood there in the middle of the room, Quinn tried to figure out how this guy was like. There was something in that warm smile of his that she liked. _I won't lie, he is cute…but I can't let him distract me. No, boys have caused my downfall and I have learned from that mistake_, she thought to herself.

"Well, it looks like you have a lot to unpack. Uhm, school starts at 8 tomorrow, my mom said you should hitch a ride with me since you probably don't know the way to McKinley yet," Quinn said. "I'll be in my room if you ever need anything."

**...**

6:30 AM, right on the dot, the alarm in Quinn Fabray's room goes off and the annoying beeping echoes in her room. _Another day_, she groans in her head. It was Wednesday, the third day since classes have resumed for another year, which meant auditions and try-outs for varsities and other clubs would begin today. In preparation for that, Quinn decided to take her time picking out what to wear when she auditions for the Cheerios. Before heading on home the other day, she waited for classes to end and for everyone to go home before she slowly approached the filled sign-up sheets for the Cheerio try-outs. She made sure everyone was out because if news went out that she was trying out to be a cheerleader again, it would spread like wildfire and a certain Latina head cheerleader would definitely feel threatened.

When her mind started to cool down from thinking about the try-outs later in the afternoon, Quinn remembered that before she could start her day, there was one person that needed her help in settling in McKinley High – Sam.

_Is he even awake yet?_ Quinn walked over to the guest room, to check if he was already up and ready to head out for school. She didn't want to be late today as it was the day she had been preparing for the whole summer. As she stood in front of the door, Quinn wondered whether she should knock or just let herself in. Without wasting another second, she turned the knob and took a peek inside.

"Sam? Are you up already?"

Sam was standing by the bed, his blonde hair damp from the shower, and he was clad in just his jeans. He was fixing his belt before Quinn entered the room, asking whether he was awake already or not.

"Oh hey, Quinn," he turned around to greet her. "Almost done getting ready."

She didn't know how long she was staring but Quinn knew she was looking a second too long. With his cute, dorky smile, she had never expected that Sam would ever have such a hot body. When he finally put on his shirt, concealing his cut abs, Quinn mentally slapped herself for being distracted.

"Done," he said. "Off to school we go!"

The two went off to school in Quinn's car. The drive to school gave them an opportunity to finally have a decent conversation with each other. By the time they reached school, Quinn learned that he came from an all-boys boarding school, he is a massive fan of James Cameron's Avatar, and he's planning on trying out for the football team.

_What would he think of me if he find out about my pregnancy last year? Would he still be so nice and polite towards me? _Throughout their talk, she was careful not to reveal too much about herself, especially about her past. _It won't be long until he hears stories about my indiscretions last year._

She was tempted to take the longer route to school to get to know him more but she didn't want to be late in her first class.

"So, I'll see ya later after our try-outs?" Sam asked.

"Good luck on your try-out later," Quinn smiled for the first time. "I'm sure you'll make it in the football team."

"Good luck on yours, too," Sam replied. "You'll be great."

**...**

Lunch time finally came up and Sam was seated near the steps outside the school building. He listing down all the homework his teacher had assigned until a group of kids, wearing matching New York shirts busted out in song, singing "Empire State of Mind". He was jamming along to the song and kept thinking how cool they were, performing in front of the whole school. In the middle of the song, three girls in the same shirt made their way down the steps and joined in. It was Quinn. _So, she was part of the Glee club._

Their performance was good, especially the black girl who belted out high notes at the end of the song and the Asian guy who could really bust a move. It came as a surprise that the student body went on with whatever they were doing, not even acknowledging the amazing performance that just happened.

The group went their own ways, probably to have their lunch break. The tall guy who rapped part of the song walked towards Sam's direction and went to talk to the blonde boy - the only one who paid attention to the performance.

"Hey, man, so I saw that you might be interested in joining our glee club," the tall boy said directly. "I'm Finn."

"Sam," he said as he gave Finn a handshake. "You guys were awesome, man."

"Thanks. We practice a lot. We actually made it to Regionals last year but the competition was really good. This year, however, is looking good for the club. We just need more members," Finn said honestly. "Why don't you come for an audition? I can go round up some of the guys and if you do well, we can put a good word in for you with Mr. Schue."

"Uhm, okay," Sam agreed, hesitantly.

In a few minutes, Sam found himself in the choir room with 4 other boys – Finn, Mike, Puck and Artie. As he sang to Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars's Billionaire, the other boys joined in the song. Finn played the drums, Puck on the guitar, Artie did the rap, and Mike backed-up the vocals and did some sweet dance moves. After the song, the guys gave Sam a round of high fives and an early welcome to the glee club.

After lunch, they each headed to their next class which happened to be Spanish with Mr. Schue – a class they all had together. The boys sat in their seats and Sam found a vacant one near the back of the classroom. As he made his way to the seat, he passed by Quinn, who was seated beside the black girl who hit the high notes earlier. He smiled at her and she replied with a shy one of her own before chatting with her friend again. He reached the vacant seat and sat himself down.

"So, I see you have taken a liking to the Glee club," said a nerdy boy who was sitting near Sam. He wore thick-rimmed glasses and had an unruly, curly Jewfro.

"They seem cool," Sam complimented them.

"That's a first," the boy chuckled. "I'm Jacob, by the way. I man this school's most popular gossip site. I know everything about everyone and I noticed that you're a new face to this little school. Sam, right?"

Sam nodded his head. He wasn't paying much attention to Jacob since Quinn was seated not too far from him.

"What brings you here, blondie?"

"I used to study at an all-boys boarding school…"

Jacob turned around to see what Sam had his gaze fixed on. "Quinn Fabray, of course," he said, not surprised. "Every guy just wants the same thing."

"Can you blame me? She's beautiful," Sam said.

"I'm guessing you don't know about her past."

"What do you mean?"

"As the owner of this school's most tuned-in gossip site, I know everything about her," Jacob said proudly. "What do you want to know?"

**...**

_**After Quinn's Cheerio try-out…**_

_I'm pretty sure Coach Sylvester will be begging me to come back anytime soon_, Quinn said confidently. She wasn't given a chance to dance (not like she had to. Sue, of all people, should know what she can do) but she was sure that her speech had made an impact. She strutted out of the auditorium and down to the field, head high and hands on her hips. _This was it. I'm coming back._

"Quinn," an unmistakable voice called out to her, followed by the sound of running. "Wait up."

Even though they had spent the past two afternoons practicing for the glee performance they had put on earlier, Quinn still continued her streak of ignoring Noah Puckerman…but unfortunately, she couldn't escape from this one.

"Quinn, can we talk?"

"What do you want, Puck?"

"I heard you tried out for the Cheerios," he tried to strike up a conversation. "Do you think you can handle going back to doing flips and all that other crap you guys do?"

"It's none of your business but yes, I can handle it," she replied, defiantly. "And again, not like it's any of your business, but I'm sure Coach Sylvester wouldn't even think twice about putting me back on top."

"I don't think Santana will be okay with stepping down from head Cheerio."

"It's not _my_ decision who Coach puts in-charge. If she thinks I can handle the team better, then that's what's best for the squad. Enough small talk, Puckerman, I have other things to do."

"I wanna know why you've been avoiding me the whole damn summer," he cut in before she could leave.

"I was busy," she replied, straight to the point without sparing him another look. She tried to walk away until Puck grabbed on to her arm and pulled her back.

"I heard some kids saying they saw you driving to school with that new kid, Sam. Is he the one you've been busy with?"

Quinn wanted to reply but Puck spoke again.

"What I said to you last year when we were looking at Beth…"

"Please Puck, if you really meant what you said, then leave me alone and pretend that we never happened," Quinn said before running to her car with tears falling from her eyes. _This is the last time I'm ever gonna cry about her_, Quinn promised. _I gave her up for the best._

**(January 6, 2011)**_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm super sorry that this update took such a long time!**

**I've been very busy with school :(**

**But to make up for it, I'll update either this or my one-shot collection before I go to bed later :D**

**...**

Quinn sat down in the driver's seat of her car, forehead resting on the wheel. The tears have stopped falling and she was over the whole encounter with Puck. _I guess it's not that easy to forget_, she thought to herself. A light knock against the car window brought Quinn back to the present. Sam was outside her car, waiting for her to unlock the door. She quickly wiped the tear stain off her cheeks and plastered a smile before letting him in.

"Ready to go?"

"Yup," Sam jumped in the front seat of the car and set his bag down by his feet.

Unlike the ride going to school, Sam and Quinn were mostly quiet on the way back home. Sam wasn't sure how to act around her anymore. His first impression that she was the perfect, girl-next-door type was shattered in just after one period beside Jacob Ben Israel. They have only known each other for less than a day and he knew it wasn't his business to meddle into hers. As the car drove out of the parking lot, passing by the front entrance of the school, Sam saw Puck exiting the doors, his gaze fixed on Quinn and Sam as they drove off.

_I guess it is true. Everything Jacob told me about her_, Sam thought. He tried to examine the blonde without her noticing. Her eyes were fixed on the road while his were on her. _No baby weight, no mood swings, nothing. _She looked perfectly normal, even better than normal, she looked stunning. If anything, she was beautiful. If it wasn't for the dirty look Puck had earlier, it would've been impossible to believe that this girl sitting beside him was once the head cheerleader and the president of the celibacy club who cheated on her boyfriend with his best friend and carried their bastard baby for nine months.

"What's the matter?" Quinn asked Sam. He was spaced out.

"Nothing," he lied. "You mind if I turn up the radio?"

"Go ahead."

New songs from Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, and Justin Bieber played up until they reached Quinn's house. Every now and then, Sam sang along to the song, hoping to get rid of the deafening silence. Without another word, both alighted from the car and entered the house.

"So, if you need anything, I'll be in my room," Quinn said before heading to her room. For the second night in a row, she would stay in her room and would only show herself for dinner.

**...**

_**Friday**_

"Hey, congrats dude," Luke, a football player high-fived Sam. "Welcome to the team."

Sam heard that Coach Beiste had already posted the final cut for the football team in the locker room and he went to check during lunch break. He walked over to the list. A small group of guys crowded to see if their names were on the list. As soon as he was able to get in front, he scanned the small sheet of paper. _Sam Evans - Quarterback_

"What?" he heard a familiar voice from behind him – Finn.

"What's wrong, man?" Sam asked his new friend.

"It says here we're both quarterbacks," Finn eyes haven't left the sheet of paper as he scanned it for the last time. "But coach didn't indicate who the starting quarterback will be."

"Well, that's because this year, we're using a two-quarterback system," Coach Beiste's booming voice interrupted the two boys' conversation. "I can't decide between the two of you."

"So, do we have to try out again?" Sam asked.

"No, it means that half of the games this season, Hudson here will be starting quarterback, and the other half, you will be starting quarterback," Coach Beiste answered. "…that's if I don't eventually get to chose. You two will be under constant assessment until I find myself the quarterback for this team," she said before leaving the two in the locker room.

"Well, good luck to whoever she picks," Sam said. "Hope there's no tension between us."

"Nah, whoever she picks will be the best for this team," Finn held fist towards Sam for a fistbump. "By the way, talked to Mr. Schue for you. We're having a meeting right now. Mr. Schue has an announcement…maybe you wanna join us today?"

"Sure."

"Come on, I'm headed there," Finn led the way for Sam.

They walked out of the locker room and along hallways that led to the choir room. From the other side of the corridor, they could already hear Mr. Schuester arguing with Finn's loud and opinionated girlfriend, Rachel Berry. When they were finally right outside the choir room, only a door separating them from the rest of the club, Finn turned to Sam.

"You'll fit right in," the tall boy assured his friend.

"Mr. Schue, I appreciate that our club pays tribute to Journey and all of their powerful rock ballads but if we do another one of their songs for Sectionals, we will be overdoing it," Rachel Berry was standing, hands on her hips.

"Rachel, Sectionals is still a long time from now and this is just a draft of our setlist," Mr. Schue was holding a sheet of paper in his hand. "Now please sit down so that I can make an announcement."

Rachel crossed her arms across her chest and sat down.

"Uhm, Mr. Schue," Finn tried to get the attention of the glee club.

The glee club fell silent upon seeing a new face in the room. Sam felt a bit self-conscious as all eyes were on him. On the last row at the back, there she sat with a surprised look on her face. Since the afternoon of his first day in school, Quinn hasn't said more than two sentences to him. She just stared at him, not even sparing a smile to welcome him in the glee club. In front of her, however, was an even less than welcoming Puck.

"Well guys, I know it's been hard after Matt left but looks like our luck has turned, we have a new member, Sam Evans," Mr. Schue warmly introduced him with a light pat on the shoulder. "Why don't you take a seat, Sam, and I'll give the class the first assignment for the school year."

"Hey," he greeted her before taking a seat at the empty chair right in front of her beside Puck.

When everyone settled down, Mr. Schue grabbed the white board marker and wrote in big, capital letters DUETS. He turned around, "Alright, question for the group, what's a duet?"

"A blanket," the blonde Cheerio sitting beside Santana quickly replied.

"A duet is when two voices join to become one," Mr. Schue corrected. He went on describing what a great duet is like. "So, boys and girls, stand and pair yourselves up. And, since you guys seem to love our Defying Gravity diva-off, I'm making this a competition."

"What does the winner get? " Mike Chang asked.

"Dinner for two, on me, at BreadstiX," Mr. Schue announced to the delight of everyone. "What are you guys waiting for? Pair up, then start practicing! I'll see you next week."

"I was wonderin-"

"Quinn, would you-"

Sam and Puck turned to Quinn at the same time.

"You weren't gonna ask her to pair up with you, were you?" Puck faced Sam. "Cause I was."

"She's the only one I know-" Sam tried to explain.

"Then get friendly with the other girls and back off, man," Puck took a step closer to Sam.

"Leave him alone, Puckerman," Quinn glared at Puck, not wanting for the two boys to cause a scene. "Come on, Sam, we're gonna be late for class."

**...**

The rest of the day zoomed by. Cheerio practice ended at the same time as football. Quinn got numerous criticisms from Coach Sylvester for forgetting most of the routines because she was out for so long. Truth is, she knew all the steps but how could she concentrate when Puck and Sam were throwing glances at her and when they weren't, they were giving looks at each other. She didn't know Sam yet and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to pair up with him or not. One thing's for sure, though, she was sure as hell she wasn't pairing up with Noah Puckerman.

"So, how does it feel being a Cheerio again?" Santana caught up with Quinn who was on her way to her locker.

"I thought it would be everything I wanted but-"

"No buts! Being a Cheerio is the best thing that could ever happen for any high school girl," Santana cut her off.

Quinn rolled her eyes and dialed in the combination for her locker.

"I noticed you're at a crossroad for the duets assignment," Santana "Let me make it easier for you. You pair with your babydaddy and I'll pair up with Sam."

"Aren't you dating Puck?"

"Sex is not dating," Santana replied. "Besides, I'm sure Sam's lips have other purposes aside from looking super sexy and irresistible…and I'm not talking about singing," she smirked. "I gotta go. You think about it, Q."

_Okay, note to self, do not leave Sam alone with Santana. That girl is crazy, _Quinn thought to herself. She closed the door of her locker and, just like clockwork, Sam entered the hallway to meet her and head their way home. She was walking towards him but before reaching where he was standing, Azimio and Karofsky pop out from behind her and slushied him in the face.

"Welcome to glee club, lady lips," Azimio taunted while Karofsky laughed mockingly.

She felt bad for him, red slushie oozing down from his hair and face. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the nearest restroom. She took out her red towel and led him to the sink. "Bend down," she said, leading his head down to the running water while he washed off the sticky drink off his face.

"The blue berry flavor is the worst especially if it gets down your pants, it looked like a creature out of Avatar down there when I got slushied," Quinn said, trying to make him feel better.

"I saw Avatar like six times," he said.

She looked at him, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. "Oh, anyway, you'll get used to it," she handed him her towel.

"You're a cheerleader, why do you even bother? You don't need glee club," he asked while he wiped his face.

"I like to sing," she fixed the hair that was stuck to his forehead. "…and, the fact is, those guys were pretty cold to me last year when I wasn't on top. What's the point of being popular if you can't do what you want," she wiped his face using her extra face towel.

"Lor menari."

Quinn knitted her brows in confusion.

"It means you have pretty eyes," Sam explained, looking straight into her eyes. "It's Na'vi…the Avatar language."

**...**

"Man, you should've seen the look in his face!" Azimio hooted.

"He was about to cry before Quinn pulled him in the ladies' room," Karofsky added.

"What do you mean Quinn pulled him in the ladies' room?" Puck was leaning against the wall of the school building. He was waiting for Azimio and Karofsky to come back with a report on what they did to Sam.

"Where else will he go? He sure as hell can't be in the men's room."

"I meant, what was she doing there?"

"I dunno. Probably to help him clean off the slushie from his Bieber cut."

"You idiots!" Puck pushed off against the wall and stood up in front of them.

"Whoa, man, we thought this is what you wanted."

"I wanted you to embarrass him in school not push him into Quinn's arms!" Puck yelled out. "You two can't do anything right!"

"Hey, we thought we were doing you a favor. We have a common enemy which makes you our ally. Anyone with that kinda haircut and those huge-a lips cannot be trusted."

"I guess I have to do things by myself then," Puck muttered to himself.

**...**

Quinn was on the couch on the living room, clicking through pages on her laptop. She had no schoolwork to be done and she found herself on Sam's facebook page. Scanning through his profile, Quinn became more and more interested about the boy that was staying in their guest room. There were tagged pictures of him, comments from his friends, statuses he had posted in the past.

His first week of school at McKinley ended rather badly and she felt sorry for him. Even though it broke her new rule of not getting close with any boy, she was going to befriend Sam. He needed at least one friend aside from Finn.

"I was getting hungry and was wondering if you were too," Sam popped in from behind her and she quickly snapped her laptop shut and placed it on the table.

"Uhh, yeah, sure," she managed to say but failed to hide the look of shock on her face.

Sam's lips pressed into a grin, seeing how wide-eyed she was. "What do you got there?" he said, reaching for her laptop.

"Nothing!" she tried to snatch it away but she was too late.

Sam was holding her laptop in his hands and opened it. He was surprised to see numerous tabs open, all links from his own profile. He looked at her with an amused look on his face while she blushed bright red. "Were you stalking me?"

She grabbed her laptop back and snapped it shut. "Fine, I was. In my defense, I was checking to see if you were a murderer or not."

Quinn got up and ran to the kitchen to heat up dinner and to get away from the humiliating incident. Sam followed behind her, still laughing. He helped set the table while she got the food out of the microwave. She couldn't stop the smile creeping up on her face, thinking about how embarrassing it was being caught. She couldn't even look at him. When the food was finally ready, they sat across from each other.

"It's unfair that you know everything about me and I know nothing about you," Sam said, breaking the silence.

"What's there to know about me?" Quinn brought a spoonful of food to her mouth.

"A lot," Sam replied but got no response. "I just want to get rid of this whole awkward bubble around us."

"I don't think we're awkward…"

She was looking straight into his eyes as she said those words. He could hear his heart racing. This beautiful girl had power over him and he wasn't going to fight it.

"Okay, so we are a little awkward," Quinn laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm not used to being around anyone aside from Cheerios and glee club."

"For someone who's a cheerleader, you're pretty glum…You're prettiest when you smile," Sam blurted out. "I wish you'd smile more often at school."

She wanted to fight back the smile but it was already out.

"See, it's not that hard," Sam joked.

"How was your try-out?" Quinn changed the topic. "Don't worry, I've seen many-a-game played by our team and they pretty much suck. Last year, we only won that one game Kurt played," Quinn fondly recalled. "It was torture having to cheer for a sucky team. If you're half a decent player, then you'll definitely get in."

"It actually went well. Coach assigned Finn Hudson and I as quarterbacks," he informed her. "And at least I'll get to be with some of the glee guys that are on the team too…though I don't think that's entirely a good thing."

Quinn bit her lip. "I'm sorry about Karofsky and Azimio…and also about Puck earlier in glee club," her face was apologetic. "He's kind of an ass to everybody."

"I'm used to guys like them. It doesn't bother me," Sam replied. "What went on between the two of you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, he obviously likes you and, two, I think he was threatening me when I asked you to be my duets partner," Sam laughed.

"It's not like that," Quinn replied. "It's…it's…"

"Oh good, you guys have dinner prepared," Judy walked in the dining room. She was wearing a little, black dress, her hair up in a neat bun, and an elegant pearl necklace. "I have a _meeting _to go to. I hope you two will be fine on your own."

"Oh come on, mom. I'm no longer a child," Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's called a date."

"It's not a date," a small smile crept on Judy's face. "It's just dinner with a friend, then, maybe a late-night showing of a movie."

"Or in other words, a date," Quinn teased her mom. "A date with that handsome fellow from church."

"Regardless of what it's called, I will be home late tonight," Judy said. "You two stay in and call me if you need anything."

"Hope you have a wonderful time, Mrs Fabray."

"Thank you, Sam, but please, call me Judy," she said. "Oh, before I forget. Sam, darling, it's kind of embarrassing to ask but since summer, we haven't had a man in the house and Quinny here doesn't know how to work the lawn mower. I was hoping if you could maybe mow the lawn tomorrow. The grass is getting knee-high."

"No problem, Mrs Fa-" Sam cut himself off when Judy raised an eyebrow at him. "No problem, Judy."

**(January 16, 2011)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the thing, I'm swamped with schoolwork!**  
**Actually, I have 3 major exams coming up! (All of them on the 31st!)**  
**So, I'm gonna drop this chapter now. I was too lazy to improve it but yeah...**  
**If I survive past the 31st, I promise to update as soon as I can!**

**PS Just saw the new promos today! I'm excited!  
**

**...**

The sound of the lawn mower buzzing woke Quinn up the next day. She laid awake on her bed, deciding whether to wake up or to go back to sleep and continue her dream - she was head cheerleader again. It was 9 in the morning already and she felt like she was wasting her weekend on sleep. It was the first weekend since school started.

"I'll get back to you later tonight," she said, referring to her dream. She rolled out of bed and stretched her limbs out. The way sun rays were entering her room and the smell of freshly cut grass mixed in the air gave her a feeling that today was going to be a good day.

Sam had been up since 6 in the morning. He was done with his routine morning exercises, unpacking all of his things and arranging them in the guestroom. It was hot outside so he was mowing the front yard in just his favorite pair of baggy jeans and old sneakers. _I'm sure no one would mind_, he thought. The neighborhood seemed conservative and he didn't want to cause trouble. He had his iPod playing at a high volume that contested the sound of the lawn mower, he didn't feel someone creep up behind him.

"Good morning!" Quinn suddenly appeared to his side.

"Ah!" he jumped in surprise and the lawn mower died out. He took his headphones off. "Don't do that! One of us could've lost a toe!" If it was someone else, he would've been pissed at the nearly dangerous incident. But how could he when she was smiling brightly, something that didn't happen too often.

"Do you want anything to eat? I can make breakfast," Quinn offered.

"I'm good. I'm almost done anyway."

"It's kinda hot out here, want me to get some water?"

"No thanks," Sam replied. He reached for the string and tugged on it to start the engine.

Quinn observed him; how his biceps bulged out when he drew the string back, how his abs was clearly visible even when he was bending down. _I'm sorry, God. This is definitely what temptation is_, Quinn couldn't control her thoughts.

"Do you always mow the lawn half-naked?"

"Only when I know someone's watching," Sam winked at Quinn before giving the mower's string on last tug. "Well, the mower's out of gas. I'm gonna go head to the hardware store and get some."

"Want me to drive you?"

"I'll be fine. My car just got here this morning," Sam said, pointing to the jeep that was parked in the driveway.

"Nice ride…"

"It's my baby," he said proudly. "Well, I'd invite you to come with me but the hardware store isn't really that fun..."

"I don't mind."

…

"Got it," Sam jogged to Quinn with a bottle of gasoline. "I'm sorry I had to drag you with me. I'm sure you had better things to do than spend a day in Home Depot."

"Its fine," she was staring at a kitchen display. "This is exactly how I want my kitchen to look…up to the very last detail."

"You think about your future house already," Sam stood beside her and examined the kitchen.

"Of course…since I was a kid," she replied. "I want to be an interior designer, design houses for the rich and famous…"

Sam smiled in amusement.

"I know it's stupid," she shook her head. "Besides, my mom wants me to be a doctor or something fancy like that. She wants me to make lots of money and move to a bigger city. She thinks interior design won't get me anywhere."

"With your looks, I'd suggest you marry an old geezer with tons of cash. Anna Nicole Smith style," Sam said in jest but she shot him a scary look.

"As _glamorous_ as your gold digger suggestion is, I doubt you'd find a wealthy old geezer in a small town like Lima," she shot back. "Oh well, we all have our silly dreams."

"It's not silly," Sam said. "You know what, I'm not rich or famous…well, not _yet,_" he grinned. "…but why don't you help me buy stuff when I move in to my place. I haven't found an apartment yet but I definitely need a good eye in designing."

"Really?" she turned to him with an eager look. Her hands clamped together in front of her.

"Mhm," he nodded. "In fact, why don't we go look around for some furniture and stuff? I don't have anything to do right now-"

"Okay! Follow me," she grabbed his hand and ran down the hardware store.

The store was pretty much empty except for a couple of customers walking by. They took the opportunity to look around the fixtures and furniture, planning how they would design Sam's place. Quinn used to accompany her dad whenever he needed tools to fix the house so she was familiar where the store kept things.

"I have a palette in mind for you," she said as they were walking down the aisle where they kept the paint buckets.

"Palette? Is that supposed to be a good thing?"

Quinn found Sam's cluelessness adorable. It wasn't the frustrating lack of common sense and initiative Finn had. Quinn loved Finn but at some points in their relationship, she just wanted to rip her blonde hair out of their roots.

"I was thinking neutral shades, nude colors…and no lava lamps and other hippie decors bachelor pads usually have," Quinn added.

For half an hour, Quinn strolled down the aisles, noting down what shades of paint she wanted to use for the walls, to the fabric she wanted for curtains and sheets, to the small accents and knobs she would fix on the panels. Sam followed her patiently, seeing how much she enjoyed what she was doing. _She was going to be a great interior designer someday, _Sam thought.

The two reached the back of the store where they kept all the furniture. The store had everything – from bunk beds, to sofas, to dining tables. "We need to start at the most important room, the bedroom. I'm thinking something modern yet elegant – like, unconventional bed shapes with a smooth finish."

"I hope your fee isn't too expensive," he joked as Quinn was busy checking out one bed in particular.

"The mahogany bed frame is nice. It would fit the design I have in mind…" she ran her hand on the smooth surface of the bed frame.

Sam wandered off, looking at other beds while Quinn was busy with interior design details Sam couldn't comprehend. A particular bed caught his attention. It was a red and blue car bed, just like the one he used to have as a kid. He sat down and crossed his legs like he used to and held on to the steering wheel that was on the foot of the bed. "Hey Quinn, would you ever consider putting this in my room?" he joked.

"What are you doing?" she laughed loud when she saw him sitting down cross-legged on a tiny car bed. "You are such a dork."

"Hop in!" he called her.

"Sam," she looked around hoping no one would notice the tall, muscular boy with the personality of an 8 year old.

"Oh come on, no one knows us," he told her. "You get to steer the wheel if you want."

After a few moments of hesitation, Quinn walked to the "passenger side" of the bed and removed her shoes. _I can't believe I'm doing this_, she thought to herself as she climbed on top of the small car and sat beside him.

"See, it's not so bad," he said before making engine sounds and steering the wheel wildly. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Wherever you take me," she played along to his crazy antic. As embarrassing as the situation was, she couldn't care less. She was having fun. "I think we need to pass by the gas station though. We're running low!"

"Okay," he steered the wheel to random directions.

The continued to play with the car bed, making up scenarios. Sam reclined on the mattress and Quinn did the same, laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing was. The bed was pretty small and their two bodies were close to each others', lightly touching at some parts. Sam turned his head to the side, facing Quinn who was so near. She looked up at his eyes and held it for a moment. They both lay beside each other without saying a word, nothing needed to be said. Quinn sat up swiftly. The last time, in fact, the _only _time she had ever shared a bed with a guy was that one night with Puck.

"What's wrong?" Sam propped himself on his elbows.

"Uhh…this bed is awfully too small for you," Quinn was able to come up with an excuse.

"Yeah, you have a point," he got up from the bed. "Come on, why don't we get something to eat? We've been here for a long time already. Besides, I won't be moving out anytime soon."

…

"I'm sorry there aren't good restaurants here in Lima," Quinn said, holding the bag of fast-food take-out. "We have BreadstiX but that's pretty much it. It's gonna take some getting used to for a rich boy like you."

"What do you mean rich boy?" Sam knitted his eyebrows.

"This car you're driving is pretty nice," Quinn looked around the interior of the car.

"It's a bribe for making me study in McKinley," Sam answered. "Back at my old school, I stayed in the dormitory so I never needed a car."

"Hey, why don't you take a left at the next corner. I don't want getting hamburger grease on your leather seats," Quinn teased. "There's a park just nearby."

Sam liked the idea of the impromptu picnic. It was his chance to get to know her better and finally break down the wall that kept them from being themselves around each other. True enough, driving down the small street, he saw the small park.

Sam parked the car not too far from where they sat. He grabbed his old football varsity jacket amongst other things and splayed it on the grass for Quinn to sit on. He sat on the ground across from her as she set the food out between them. It was the perfect spot on the park, right below the maple tree.

"Dig in," Quinn invited.

_She's so beautiful_, Sam couldn't stop from staring. Even when she took a big bite from the quarter-pounder burger she ordered, she was immaculate. Even when burger greased dribbled down the side of her chin, nothing could make her less than perfect.

"It's a real nice weather we're having lately," Sam said after he finished off his food.

"Am I that boring that there's nothing better to talk about other than the weather?" Quinn dabbed her lips with a napkin.

"It's not like that…It's just…I can't imagine a better way of spending the afternoon," Sam leaned back to soak in the sun.

"My sister and I used to spend a lot of time here when we were kids," Quinn began to drift into her memories. "She'd bring a basket full of food and we'd lie down right at this exact spot."

"Where's your sister now?"

"Married," was all she said. She didn't need to explain the whole process of growing up. Her sister, the good daughter, also went to McKinley, got good grades, finished college, and got married. Quinn, on the other hand, had a child at 16.

"I was wondering if you would like to sing a duet with me for the Glee assignment," Sam asked but got no response. He stood up and picked up his guitar, throwing the strap across his shoulder. "We'll start with choreography. Singing will be easy so I'll just start playing…" Sam started strumming chords on his guitar. "Now get behind me."

She took a step closer to him, unsure… She hasn't thought about the duets projects since the last glee meeting. She knew that if she paired with Sam, Puck would definitely protest.

"Now grab my hips and start swaying…"

She chuckled as his directions. He was stiff and probably the worst dancer but his attempt was adorable. Quinn didn't want him to look silly, dancing on his own, so she decided to follow his lead.

"Now here's the cool part. Give me your hand," he held out his own hand and reached out for hers. She cautiously placed her hand in his.

"Do you know how to play?"

"No," Quinn whispered, shaking her head.

"It's easy," he guided her hand to the neck of the guitar, positioning her slim fingers on the strings. "It's just like that…Now do it fast back and forth."

He began to strum on the guitar and together they played a small section of the song. Quinn raised her head a little, trying to check his expression whether she was doing it right or not. She could feel him staring at her while they played. As she glanced up, she saw him looking straight into her eyes – he often did that when they talked. It made her a bit uneasy. They held each other's gaze once again in an unspoken bound. The sound of the guitar has stopped playing.

Slowly, his eyes travelled down to her lips as he pressed closer to her. For a second, she didn't pull back up until he was a mere inch away did she move away. "No, I can't do this."

She held up her hands, palms pushing him away as she took a couple more steps back.

"This year's about me and don't say that I'm selfish because you have no idea how much I have given," Quinn started. Words just made their way out her lips and she wasn't sure if she made any sense. All she could think about was the consequences of falling in love with the last boy that pursued her. "I've been down this path before. I know this feeling, like I need you. Duets don't work for me. And I don't need you. What I need is to find a way to keep Santana off my heels. What I need is to find new ways to torture Rachel."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't- I shouldn't have tried that," Sam tried to apologize, feeling so stupid for making a move. He knew how delicate Quinn was and he just shattered his chance with her.

"I'm sorry, I've made a mistake…and I don't want to sing with you," Quinn was on the brink of crying. "Please, take me home."

They went inside the car and wasted no time talking. The engine started and Sam pulled out of the parking space. What started as a perfect Saturday turned into the predicament Sam had been steering away from since the moment he found out about her past. Wanting to set things straight, Sam slowed the car down, pulling over to the side.

"Where are we going? Why are you pulling over?" Quinn said in between suppressed sobs.

"It must be hard," he said, bracing himself. "When I think, if I went through what you went to last year, I would have transferred to a school on the moon or something out of embarrassment."

Quinn had a shocked expression on her look, as if she was slapped on the face. Yes, getting pregnant ruined the reputation she had tediously built for herself but never did she once regret having Beth.

"Okay, that didn't come out right, I mean, you're really brave to come back like you have," Sam quickly took back what he said. "I won't judge you or anything. I know what it's like to have a secret that you're ashamed of."

"So...how long have you known?"

"You're the most popular girl in McKinley, I knew the second I walked in," Sam answered. "I just thought that it's not really something for casual conversations. I wanted to earn your trust first but then I pulled that stupid thing earlier. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried that."

"I knew it," Quinn had a bitter smile on her face. "You're just like every guy – lead me on to believing they actually care about me then screw me over when they get the chance. Finn cheated on me with that little midget. Puck got me drunk and knocked me up–"

"I'm not like that."

"Sam, please. I just want to go home, okay."

…

**Monday…**

Finn barged in the boys' locker room and walked up to the blonde boy punching the bag.

"You tried to kiss her? Major glee party foul!"

Sam threw a couple more punches at the bag to clear his head out. "I know I shouldn't have but she's sending me those vibes…and those eyes," he said in a low whisper. _Those hazel brown eyes…_ "If Puck ever finds out, he's probably gonna beat my ass. I'm sure you would too."

"I won't," Finn replied. "But Puck, I can't say much for him…what went on?"

"We were having fun, practicing a number for the duet competition…I taught her how to play some chords on the guitar and when I looked into her eyes…I was trapped," Sam recounted.

"I know what you mean," Finn sat down on the bench. "She does have that power, doesn't she?"

"If it means anything to you, I blew it. I blew my shot with her," Sam sat down beside Finn. "Do you…still have feelings for Quinn?"

"What? Don't be silly, Sam," Finn looked away. "I'm with Rachel now. I mean, she's a lot shorter than Quinn and she talks a lot…but I'm in love with her. Besides, this isn't about dating, okay? It's about you fitting in with the club. It's hard getting people to join us and we really need more members to help us win at Nationals."

"I really want to fit in and participate but Quinn backed out from being my partner," Sam sighed.

"You know what, the week isn't over yet. We'll find you another partner," Finn placed an arm around Sam's shoulder. "Come on, we have glee practice."

…

"Guys, I'm sure you're all pumped to see who's gonna win the all expense paid dinner at BreadstiX…" Mr Schue pumped up the glee club. "And today, we will be having our first contenders!"

"Hey Ladylips, I heard what you tried to pull with Quinn over the weekend," Puck leaned forward to whisper to Sam.

"I wasn't trying to pull anything," Sam replied defensively at the boy sitting behind him.

"Try it again and I will personally hurt you," Puck threatened.

"Puck, if you and your partner are ready…" Mr Schue called the attention of Puck.

"This one's for you, Ladylips," Puck said to Sam as he stood up with his guitar strapped across his shoulder. He made his way in front of the class and waited for his partner to join him. From the far corner of the room, Quinn stood up and cross the classroom to stand beside Puck. She turned around to face her fellow members, looking down on the floor to avoid eye contact.

"We didn't have much time to prepare since Quinn just asked me to be her partner yesterday but we're a 100% that what we have prepared would definitely win us the competition," Puck said confidently. "And yes, we did spend long hours in my house when my mom and sister were out-"

"Puck, can you please just get on with the song," Quinn scowled in a low voice.

Without wasting any more time, Puck strummed on his guitar.

_I've been living with a shadow overhead,_

_I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed,_

_I've been lonely for so long,_

_Trapped in the past,_

_I just can't seem to move on!_

_I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away,_

_Just in case I ever need 'em again someday,_

_I've been setting aside time,_

_To clear a little space in the corners of my mind!_

_All I wanna do is find a way back into love._

_I can't make it through without a way back into love._

_Oh how_

_I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine,_

_I've been searching but I just don't see the signs,_

_I know that it's out there,_

_There's gotta be something for my soul somewhere!_

_I've been looking for someone to she'd some light,_

_Not somebody just to get me through the night,_

_I could use some direction,_

_And I'm open to your suggestions._

_All I wanna do is find a way back into love._

_I can't make it through without a way back into love._

_And if I open my heart again,_

_I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end!_

_There are moments when I don't know if it's real_

_Or if anybody feels the way I feel_

_I need inspiration_

_Not just another negotiation_

_All I wanna do is find a way back into love,_

_I can't make it through without a way back into love,_

_And if I open my heart to you,_

_I'm hoping you'll show me what to do,_

_And if you help me to start again,_

_You know that I'll be there for you in the end_

**(January 26, 2011)**_  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! I'm back!**

**Yes, Obviously I made it through my exams. I just needed the week after that to cool down.**

**The test was definitely spirit shattering. I wanted to update sooner but I felt so drained.**

**But most of all, I couldn't write because after almost two months of waiting for Glee to come back, they gave us two episodes of Quinn cheating on Sam? What the heck, right?**

**Please tell me I'm not the only one pissed. (I'm kinda sure it affected my writing. Sorry!)**

**I'm glad that Finn/Quinn shippers are happy but AT WHAT COST? /cry/**

**I really thought Finn/Quinn were over. I mean, come on, it's like beating a dead horse. Didn't they bury that already? Now, they're digging it back up?**

**Okay, enough with the metaphors. I swear, I am devastated! I really wanna contact one of the writers and beg them to bring back Sam/Quinn. Oh life.**

**Honestly, some of the fanfictions writers here write a heck lot better than the glee writers. I AM PISSED.**

**/RANT sorry if it's a long one.**

**I'll be updating again soon! And I really mean it this time when I say 'soon'. It won't take forever, I promise!**

**Thanks for the many people who subscribed! I'm so happy. Please don't forget to review. I appreciate them lots. Enjoy! :)**

**...**

"I thought you guys left for school already," Judy looked up from the mug of hot coffee. She was reading the newspaper like she usually does before heading out to work.

"Quinn left by herself," Sam grabbed a mug of coffee for himself.

"I thought you guys always went to school together…"

"She's not talking to me," he admitted to the older woman.

Judy sighed. "I'm sorry she's being difficult, Sam. She wasn't always like this."

"No need to apologize. I get what she's going through," Sam looked down on the glass table, trying to see his reflection in it. It was a few minutes before 8 and Sam wasn't exactly eager to go to school.

"How's your apartment hunt going?"

"Haven't found a decent place yet. They're either too far or too over-priced."

"That's fine, honey. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want."

"Thanks but my dad has been nagging me to hurry up and look for a place. He doesn't want you guys to think I'm abusing my welcome to your home."

"How is he?" Judy set down the newspaper on the table.

"Same old, same old," he muttered before taking a sip from his mug. "The court dropped the case against him but he's still having a hard time getting clients after everything that went down."

"It's hard to earn people's trust once you've broken them," Judy trailed off. "I'm not saying your dad is untrustworthy…it's just that its human nature to expect the worst out of others."

Sam nodded. "He lost most of the big clients after the rumors started spreading that John Evans was stealing money from his clients' accounts…but now, he's slowly building up his reputation again."

"I have faith in your dad, Sam. I know that everything will turn out well."

""I hope so," he chugged down the coffee left in his mug. "You haven't told Quinn why I had to move here, right?"

"Of course not, honey. It's not my story to tell."

…

Today was another bad day for Sam. He was late for his first class, having forgotten to fill up his tank the other day. His English teacher called him out during class to answer a question he did not know the answer to. Karofsky didn't cover him when they ran plays during football practice so he was tackled more times than he could remember. But worst of all, Mercedes and Santana performed an amazing duet in glee rehearsal while he still didn't know who to sing with. Sooner or later, it would be his turn to perform. There were only a few days till the end of the week.

"Worst day ever," Sam muttered to himself as he grabbed a couple of books from his locker before he headed home.

"Hi, I'm Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," the perky boy from Glee club popped out of nowhere, an arm extended towards Sam.

Sam cautiously shook the boy's hand in his. "Elizabeth?"

"Fine, just Kurt," he admitted. "I just want to personally welcome you to the glee club."

"Thanks," Sam said before turning back to his locker, expecting Kurt to go on about his business.

"Just tell me," Kurt was still standing beside him. "Maybe at your old school you could get away with the whole "I just dated the sun the whole summer excuse" but I have three gifts – my voice, my ability to spot trends in men's fashion, and my ability to know when it comes from a bottle," he pointed at Sam's mess of blonde hair.

"I don't dye my hair, dude."

"Yes, you do," Kurt insisited, sure of himself. "That's not natural."

"I'm gonna go, cause you're kinda freakin' me out," Sam shut his locker door and took a few steps away from Kurt.

"Wait, maybe my instincts were a little off," Kurt trailed behind him. "Let me make it up to you. Team up with me for the duet competition. Listen, unless you team up with Rachel, I'm your best bet at winning…"

"Aren't duets supposed to be between like a girl and a guy?"

"Well, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor would protest," he responded to a clueless Sam. "Make Em Laugh?"

"Sorry."

"Singing In The Rain, 1952," Kurt enumerated but Sam could only shake his head apologetically. "Nothing? Okay maybe you are straight," Kurt exclaimed, a bit frustrated.

"What?"

"Nothing, listen, I'm not in a rush to go home yet and unless you're running late for your usual freshly-squeezed lemon juice dyeing sessions, I think we should go on over to the choir room and check some music sheets Mr. Schue hoards in one of the cabinets."

"Look, I'm not even sure I'm gonna do the duet project. In case you weren't paying attention last Glee meeting, _my_ partner performed with someone else," Sam tried to explain, not wanting to offend Kurt. Sam just wasn't in the best of moods today.

"Oh, I was paying attention. It was hard not to notice their obvious lack of interest in singing with each other. Yes, they sounded amazing but they lack in the most important aspect of a duet - chemistry."

"And you think we can pull this duet off? Two dudes?"

"Anything is possible," Kurt said with a flirty smile.

…

**[QUINN'S POV]**

"I love you so much, Quinn," Puck said between kisses. I can't believe were lying down in his bed, making out. His house was empty for the afternoon. His mom was out for work and he didn't have to pick up his sister from ballet class for at least another hour. For the most part, I just can't believe that I agreed to go with him to his house. Our duet performance was over and I had no reason to be 50 meters near him.

I pretended not to hear him say those words. I kept my eyes shut, drowning myself in Puck's kisses. _This is wrong._ I could hear a small voice in the back of my head screaming at me for hooking up with Puck. It's not like I plan on taking this any further. I just needed someone right now. _I am so messed up._

"I want to be with you," he whispered in my ear while he trailed kisses to my neck.

_That's it._ I slid my hand from the back of his neck down to his chest to push him off. "I can't do this," I told him as I tried to sit up but half of him was on top of me. I couldn't move.

"What's wrong, babe?"

"Don't call me that," I felt like shouting. Trying to wiggle out from under him was no use.

"I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong," he held me down. "So just tell me."

"I don't…"

"You don't what?"

"I don't want to be with you," I tell him firmly.

He sat up on his bed and I was free from being trapped under him. I knew what was coming next. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes gave him away. He was hurt.

"Then why the hell did you even ask me to pair up with you? Why the hell are we even here?"

"I dunno, Puck," I stood up, smoothing the pleats of my uniform before placing my hands on either side of my hips. "I got bored." As much as I hate having to be the bitch, this was the only way I could tell Puck to leave me alone.

His eyes were dark now, almost frightening. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" his voice was laced with anger and pain. Out of frustration, he grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it against the table, knocking down a few of his things. I tried not to look scared. He stood up from his bed and walked towards me, his hands cupping my face, crushing his lips to mine in a searing kiss.

For a split second, my body betrayed me and responded. My hands fell limply to my side…but it was for only a second. I gather up all my strength and pushed him off.

"Why do you keep avoiding me, Quinn? I tell you I love you and every time, you disappear right after," Puck ran a hand through his Mohawk. "What are you so afraid of?"

"You say you love me then, a few seconds after, you're out screwing with Santana," my eyes rimmed with tears. "That night when we babysat those kids and you said we could handle the whole parenting thing, I believed you! When you said you wanted to be with me, I actually considered it. But no, Puck, I think I'm just another one of your conquests. The fact that I won't put out for you again is driving you crazy because I'm the first girl that has ever said no to you…and that is why you keep chasing me."

I finally admitted to him that, last year, there was a chance for the two of us to be together. I finally said my piece and it felt good to let it all out. I no longer have bottled up feelings about Puck. He needed to know the truth.

"Thanks for doing the duet assignment with me, Puck," I said before running out his room and his house. Thankfully, he didn't follow me, but as I looked back at his house, I could see him watch me leave through his window.

**[END OF POV]**

…

"I'm sorry to inform you guys, but Brittany and Artie have dropped out of the competition," Mr. Schue announced. "But, if it's any consolation, that means that the remaining pairs have a bigger shot at winning the competition!"

"Please, Mr. Schuester. You saw my duet with Mercedes last Tuesday. It was hot. No amount of practice could top that performance off," Santana crossed her arms around her chest.

"I'm loving the confidence, Santana, but you'll never know-"

"Oh, I know. I know that Mercedes here and I are going to BreadstiX."

Tina shyly raised her hand. "Mr. Schue, Mike and I are ready to perform."

"Let's see what you got!"

The couple cleared out the middle of the choir room while the rest took their seats to perform. Everyone was particularly interested in how the two Asians would perform. While Tina had a beautiful voice and Mike had wicked dance moves, the assignment was to do a duet – something neither one of them has yet to do in front of the glee club.

"Trust me, you're gonna be great," Tina held Mike's shaking hand in both of hers. She looked up to her boyfriend, assuring him that what they prepared would turn out well.

With one last exhale to calm his nerves down, Mike turned around and began to perform his lines. They choose to perform 'Sing!' from A Chorus Line. As soon as Mike got around to moving, he forgot about his nerves and was comfortable in using the whole stage. Judging from the response they got, they crowd loved it.

"Now that is a duet!" Mr. Schue clapped loudly as he walked up to the couple to congratulate them. "Thank you Tina for introducing us to the amazing voice of Mike Chang!"

Santana rolled her eyes. _Yeah fine, they were good too_, she thought to herself.

"Thank you Mike and Tina for warming up the crowd for us," Rachel strutted to the floor, dragging Finn behind her. "We, too, are performing our duet."

"Okay," Mr. Schue motioned for them to take the floor and sing.

The crowd was anticipating what they had in mind – knowing Rachel, it would probably be a powerful ballad that involved her belting out high notes at the end. Their costumes were definitely not the usual ones for a performance – unless it was a song about a priest and a school girl. The violins started playing in the background as Rachel sang her lines. Finn harmonized with her. It was Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright's 'With You I'm Born Again'. Everyone looked confused as to why they chose that song and performed it in an offensive way.

"Do I even need to say it?" Mercedes spoke up when everyone was silent after Rachel and Finn's performance.

"That was really rude," Sam couldn't help but laugh at the ironic performance.

"But, like, _really _rude," Tina added.

"I seriously wanted to punch both of you," Quinn narrowed her eyes at the couple.

"I have to agree," Mr. Schue stood up. "It's a great duet but what you guys did with it was really inappropriate. Your costume choice was a little insensitive. Frankly, I'm disappointed."

Rachel had a surprised look on her face. Speechless, she sat back down.

"Well, now that all the pairs have performed, should we start the vote?"

"Mr. Schue," Sam stood up. "I know it might be too late but I'd like to perform a duet."

"Sam," Mr. Schue was confused. "Who will you be singing with?"

The blonde boy took to the stage. "At first, I thought it was a bad idea but after getting to rehearse a duet with my partner, I feel confident that we can perform well enough to win the crowd over."

"Alright, let's see what you and your partner got."

"Kurt," Sam called, much to the surprise of many. "Thanks for doing this with me."

Kurt excitedly joined him in the middle of the choir room. "Just remember the steps and try to communicate with your eyes," he whispered last-minute reminders to Sam.

Kurt cued Brad and the band to start playing their song. The two boys started swaying back and forth. The song was Kurt's first suggestion to sing and he spent a good five minutes persuading Sam to just go with the song. It was 'I'll Cover You' from one of Kurt's favorite musicals, Rent.

_Live in my house_

_I'll be your shelter_

_Just pay me back_

_With one thousand kisses_

_Be my lover_

_And I'll cover you_

Kurt delivered his lines with ease. He knew this song like the back of his hand. He spent many nights dreaming about performing this to a crowd. It was Sam's turn to sing his lines and when he did, he delivered it just as good as Kurt had imagined.

_Open your door_

_I'll be your tenant_

_Don't got much baggage to lay at your feet_

_But sweet kisses I've got to spare_

_I'll be there and I'll cover you_

He knew they were doing well, basing from the smile Mr. Schue had on his face. Kurt built up the courage to move around the floor, giving Sam flirty looks as they performed their song. His partner, though his singing was great, it seemed like his feet were stuck to the ground.

_She's looking at me_, Sam noticed Quinn seated in the middle row. He broke away from her glance and tried to feel the duet he was performing with Kurt. He looked at his partner who was shooting daggers with his eyes, signaling him to keep up with the choreography. How could he pretend to sing to a dude, though, when all he could think about was _her_?

_I think they meant it_

_When they said you can't buy love_

_Now I know you can rent it_

_A new lease you are my love_

_On life all my life_

_I've longed to discover_

_Something as true as this is_

This song was all for her, all about her.

_Oh, lover_

_I'll cover you_

_yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Oh, lover_

_I'll cover you_

As the song ended, Sam felt guilty for not being able to execute the choreography Kurt had made for the song. He knew that the duet was between the two performers but Sam couldn't help but imagine it was her he was singing with instead. He apologized to Kurt for ruining the whole performance as took their bow to the sound of applause.

"Thank you Kurt and Sam for that wonderful performance!" Mr. Schue applauded. "Wow, this competition has definitely proved to be a success. I say let's hurry and move on with the vote to determine the winner."

The group grabbed pens and paper and scribbled down their vote. The ballots were gathered in a basket and tallied by Mr. Schuester himself right after the votes were cast.

Mr. Schue gave off an amused laugh. "And the winner for the duets competition is…Kurt and Sam!"

…

"Hey Kurt!" Sam jogged to catch up with his winning duet partner. "Sorry if I was distracted a while ago but look!" he took out the envelope he received from Mr. Schue. "I guess it wasn't that bad, right?"

Kurt pressed his lips together in a faint smile. "I'm glad we won."

"So, how do we go on about this free dinner thing?"

"Keep it," Kurt said. "Use it to take out someone you like."

"But we won this, don't you want it?"

Kurt sighed. "I realized that you're not exactly the kind of guy I thought you were," he kept his words vague.

"Did I do something to offend you?" Sam asked, apologetically.

Kurt smiled again, shaking his head. "Let's just say, you're country and pop. I'm more Broadway and Eliza."

Sam didn't fully understand what the boy meant. He was thankful that Kurt was kind enough to perform with him and, he admits, Kurt had an amazing voice. He's one of the few people that showed true interest in getting to know Sam.

"I notice the smallest things about everyone, Sam, and that's how I know about your secret," Kurt nodded towards Sam's hair. Sam opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Kurt interrupted, "Before you argue, let me just say, I know you have some issues with a certain blonde cheerio and I want you to use our tickets and take her out for a nice dinner. I know you're a nice guy, Sam, and she'd have to be dumb to not like you back."

"You really have a sixth sense, don't you?" Sam joked.

"So you no longer deny that you put lemon juice in your hair?"

"I uttered no such thing."

**(February 10, 2011)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I finally updated! Wee! Okay, to be honest, I started this chapter February 10! Yes, I started right after I finished the last chapter. Not kidding.**  
**Anyways, I am super sorry that it took so long! I felt like quitting this after Quinn went back with Finn. :|**  
**I was hoping Quinn would fight for Sam or something but nope, we get nothing.**  
**I guess that's why Sam/Quinn fics are so awesome. All the fics inspired me to continue writing and yes, there are a lot of good ones! (Please update!)**  
**So, I have exams tomorrow and the day after but good news, its gonna be summer break after...and I already started the next chapter.**  
**And there's gonna be some interaction. I think I'm dragging the story a little.**  
**Review please :)**  
**PS, for those who read my one-shot collection, I did take note of what story you guys chose and I already have it plotted out :) Well, most of it.**

**...**

Winning the duets competitions in glee made Sam feel comfortable in the club. At first, he was scared of the thought that singing a duet with Kurt would ultimately lead to vicious slushies – courtesy of Karofsky and Azimio. Luckily, glee usually went on after classes and most of the students were home or at practice for extra-curricular activities.

After a small chat he had with Kurt about giving him both the tickets to take Quinn out for an apology date, Sam headed out to his car. As he drove on home to the Fabray house, all he could think about was how frightfully amazing it was to express himself through song, a thing he only did in private, and have people praise him for it. _Maybe glee isn't as lame as people think it is._ Running down the list of glee club members, half of it was practically cheerleaders and football players.

His Jeep found its home in the garage of the Fabray house and the first thing Sam noticed was that this afternoon, it wasn't empty. After Sam tried to plant a kiss on Quinn and accidentally spilling that he knew about the baby, the garage would often be empty with Judy always out for church group meetings or long days at work and Quinn not returning home till late in the evening. This afternoon, though, her small, red car was parked, meaning that she was in.

He wasn't sure how long she was going to stay mad at him. He wasn't sure how he was going to apologize either. He figured that it was easiest if he just lay low and not piss her off, wait for the right moment and see what happens from there. He enters the house and hears the low buzz the living room TV. There she is sitting on the couch with her legs propped up on the table. She was out of her Cheerios uniform and in a baggy shirt and shorts. Her eyes were fixated on the TV as she dipped her hands in the bowl of popcorn resting on her lap.

"Hey," he regretted it the second the simple word escaped his lips. She looked up, away from the TV but said nothing. "What's on TV?" he asked as if the past week just never happened. He wasn't really expecting a reply but surprisingly, her small voice spoke up.

"American Idol."

Sam nodded, not knowing how to respond. Her voice wasn't really inviting nor was it implying that she didn't want him there. But then, the next thing she did surprised him even more. She scooted over to the edge of the sofa – she already was at the edge of the chair so moving down further seemed like an invitation to join her. "It just started."

Confused, Sam dropped his bag at the foot of the sofa and sat beside her. She was right, the show had just started and Ryan Seacrest was doing his usual spiel, hyping up the crowd. They were both silent but it was not awkward. Quinn held the popcorn bowl by the rim and held out her arm, offering some to Sam. He gladly took a handful.

"Casey has got my vote," Sam said in between popping popcorn in his mouth.

Quinn kept her eyes glued to the TV. "Mine too."

And for a moment, a very quick moment, Sam felt like they were an old, married couple, enjoying a television show together. No need for words, no need to be intimate. Everything felt just right like a piece fitting right into the puzzle. Heaving out a content sigh, Sam was deep in his happy thoughts when the phone rang. Quinn picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello," she spoke into the phone, "Mom?"

She stays quiet for a while. Sam reaches over for the remote control to turn the volume down. He notices something is wrong when her eyebrows knit together in worry.

"Will you be okay there?" she asks. She nods every now and then. "Okay, mom. I'll see you soon."

As soon as Quinn hangs up the phone, Sam took no second longer to ask, "What happened to your mom?"

"She's staying late at the office tonight. She said she might stay there all night," Quinn turned the volume up, just in time to catch the next performer on stage. After a couple more performances, she stood up abruptly and headed towards the kitchen. "Want anything for dinner?" she called out.

"I'll take whatever you give me."

Quinn scouts the refrigerator for anything she could cook. Seeing the fridge was near empty, she heads towards the cupboards, only to find even more emptiness. "Mom hasn't gone to the groceries yet," she reenters the living room. You wanna order delivery or something?"

Sam thinks for a moment and remembers the certificates he won from the duets competition. He rummages through his backpack and pull out the envelope Kurt gave him. "We could use these," he holds them up.

"Okay…"

**...**

After tonight's episode of American Idol, Quinn ran up to her room to get a jacket and hastily threw it around her shoulders. "We can take my car…or, you know, we could just meet at BreadstiX," Sam offered when they were in the garage. Quinn headed towards the other side of the car without looking back at him. "We can take your car," she hopped in the passenger seat.

After being ushered into a booth by a waitress, the two wasted no time in small talk and went straight to ordering food. It was getting late and both were hungry. The waitress diligently took their orders and the menus away. Here in the booth, with no TV to use as an excuse to not talk to each other, Sam began to feel the awkward atmosphere between them. He fiddled with the end of the tablecloth, pulling on a loose thread while Quinn kept playing with the zipper on her jacket.

_Up and down, up and down, up and down…_The scratchy noise that went with Quinn dragging the zipper on her jacket was becoming annoying.

"Quinn," Sam started. "About what happened last week—"

"Its fine," she was quick to cut him off.

"I just want to apologize…"

"I told you, it's fine," she said firmly. Something in her eyes speaks that she really does not want to talk about it. As if talking about it would just make her cry right then and there. She reached for a stick of bread, breaking it into small pieces on her plate.

Sam gripped the edge of the table. It was just too much. She wouldn't talk to him, or look him in the eye, or even just listen to his apology. "I don't want us to be like this."

"There is no us, okay!" Her voice rose a little towards the end. "So can you please drop it."

"I just want things to get back to the way they were!" Sam looked around to make sure no one was watching them. The last thing he wanted was to get everyone's attention.

"So is this what its suppose to be? Did you invite me for dinner to apologize and tell me how past is past, everyone makes mistakes, we're only human, and all those other clichés?" Quinn bombarded him with questions.

"I'm not," Sam replied. "We're just here for dinner. Simple as that…except that I just want to know why you're so mad at me..."

The waitress finally came back with their food. With the scent of her plate of bacon and eggs, it was a challenge for Quinn not to dig in her plate face first. She grasped the silver fork and timidly pushed the food around her plate. "Look, I know you wanna be friends and put this all behind us but this is who I am now. I don't expect to find anyone who would like me regardless of everything that happened last year," her voice almost toxic.

"That's the problem. It's because of all those things that I like you. You are brave, Quinn, and I don't want one accident to close your heart up to everyone."

"You talk like you know me," she scoffed.

"It's because I do," he looked her in the eyes. "One mistake turns you from most popular kid in school to a complete social outcast. Why else would I move all the way here to Lima?"

"I'm not interested with a rundown of your life so save me the sob story and let's just get this over with, okay?" Quinn took both utensils in her hands in ate. The bacon was just too distracting.

"Why do you have to build all these walls around you? What are you so afraid of?" Sam asked as if it was the simplest question in the world. He brought a spoonful of food to his mouth and chewed.

_You, maybe,_ she couldn't help but think. "People I trust don't exactly have a good track record in my book. It's like they've made it a game: who can screw Quinn Fabray over the worst wins!"

"Don't say that," Sam frowned. "You're the Queen Bee, the HBIC. You're the most popular girl in school—"

"When will you realize that popularity isn't everything? They say I'm popular but yet I have not one true friend. What does that have to say about popularity?" she dabbed the side of her lips and brought her glass of water to her lips. Now that there was food in her system, she wasn't too cranky.

"Well, you're not exactly the easiest person to approach," Sam whispered to himself, biting into his food.

"What did you say?" Quinn heard.

Sam quickly swallowed his food. "I'm just saying, you're pretty intense. It's hard not to get intimidated by you."

Quinn leaned over the table, looking straight into his eyes. "Then why aren't you?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"Because I saw the real Quinn," Sam started. "I liked her."

She leaned back on the soft cushion of the booth. Quinn unconsciously bit her bottom lip, a thing she did when she was thinking…or was scared. Puck found it cute. He said he felt like kissing her every time she bit on them lightly.

"I'm sorry I'm a bitch."

"I'm sorry that my jokes aren't so funny," Sam replied. He had a dorky grin on his face and Quinn couldn't stop herself from smiling. _Okay, he's cute, so what?_ Quinn thought. There's something about his boyish charm that felt so pure.

"Okay, if you want me to trust you, I have to know something about you…and not the 'Hi, my name is Sam, I love Nicholas Sparks's novels, candle-light dinners, and long walks on the beach' answers."

"Well, for one, I'm dyslexic so I have difficulty reading. But I do read Stephen King novels even if it takes me quite a while to finish one. And two, I do _very_ accurate impressions of popular sci-fi characters,: he says before he goes into a monologue in a funny voice.

"So, I'm guessing you never had a girlfriend," Quinn joked.

"I've never really gone out on a date. All-boys school, remember?" he blushed, a bit embarrassed for his lack of experience.

Quinn laughs. "I can't say I'm surprised."

**...**

In just a week, Quinn and Sam went from being good friends, to ignoring each other after the kiss incident, and back to friends. A lot could happen in just a week. The weekend itself felt like a week. They stayed in as Sam showed Quinn his sci-fi video collection. They even watched a most of them. Most of them seemed a bit confusing to her. Sam would have to explain what was going on, but out of the lot, she seemed to like Lord of the Rings the most.

Now the weekend was over and both had to face another 5 days of school. Today, they drive to school in Sam's Jeep.

"So, a little birdie tells me you went out on a date with Sam last Friday at BreadstiX," she felt Santana nudge her with her elbow. It was Science class and Mrs. Wilson was in the middle of discussing about carbon footprint and biocapacity.

"Geez Santana, it's not even third period yet and you're already down my throat," Quinn said, scribbling on her notebook, pretending she was taking down notes.

Santana slid closer to Quinn. If there was one thing you need to know about Mrs. Wilson, it's that if she catches you talking, you will definitely not hear the end of it. "I don't blame you. There's something off about his mouth-to-face ratio but he still manages to be hot," Santana was now randomly scanning through their lecture book.

"I think its cute," a small smile played on Quinn's lips. She was now doodling drawings of lips on her notebook.

"Oh my god, you two are doing it, aren't you?" Santana nudged Quinn again. "You slut!" Somehow, Santana made it seem like a compliment.

"Keep your voice down, San!" Quinn lightly slapped Santana's side. Mrs. Wilson was still droning on. "And no, we're not even dating."

"So?"

"So that means we're not doing it," Quinn said in a hushed voice.

"Why not? He's in your house every day. He's hot. What's keeping you? It's not like he has a girlfriend and even if he did, it doesn't matter," Santana replied so quickly, it sounded like one sentence.

"I'm not interested in him, okay. And he's probably not interested in me either. So can we just keep it at that. Not every teenager is hormonal to the point that they just jump on each other's bones, okay," Quinn's page was full of random doodles and scribbles. She turned to a clean sheet.

"Suit yourself. Besides, I was just checking to make sure you're not into him," Santana shrugged then sat up straight, eyes forward. "More for me then."

"Didn't you _just_ got back together with Puck?"

"We did but I don't know. He's not himself lately," Santana fiddled with her ponytail. "I tried pulling him into the janitor's closet earlier but he pushed me away. I asked him what was up and he just said he's still not over some girl he got with last week…"

Quinn, who was pretending to be busy copying notes, was now all ears.

"I swear, he can be such a girl sometimes. So not sexy," Santana scrunched up her face in disgust. "That's why I plan on getting with trouty lips to entertain me in the mean time."

"You can't just play with him, San. He seems like a real nice guy," Quinn dropped her hands to her side and faced her seatmate. She almost forgot that she was still in class.

"Which is exactly what I need, Q. I need someone who will treat me right, be nice, and buy me expensive things every now and then," her friend replied. "Besides, you said it yourself, you're not into him… So why care?"

Why did she care? Was it because during the course of the weekend, she seemed to grow fond of him? Was it because she truly didn't want him to be used by Santana? Or was it something else?

The bell rung, signaling the end of second period.

"You know what, I have to go meet Brittany. She missed first period so I'm guessing she's lost somewhere in the library," Santana gathered her stuff, standing up to leave. "…And I have to move fast and catch my fish cause he seems to be popular with the freshmen Cheerios…"

Quinn never thought about the possibility of other girls taking an interest in him. Sure, he is cute. He's a good football player. He's really nice. _Who am I kidding?_ Of course other girls would like him. Sam was perfect and for some reason, she was jealous. She felt silly for thinking that she could just keep him to herself, in her house. Sooner or later, he would move out and he would like some Cheerio. _Would he even talk to me after he moves out?_ She mentally asks herself. Walking down the halls to her locker, she tries dialing in her locker combination when she sees him from afar with a Cheerio, Jessica.

She observes them a little. Sam seemed to enjoy talking to her. _I wonder what they're talking about since that Jessica is as dumb as a bag of rocks._ They're conversation wasn't long but at the end of it, she sees Jessica reach into her pocket and take a small piece of paper and hand it to Sam. He takes it and stuffs it in his pocket. They say their goodbyes and part ways, heading off to their next class.

"You're with Evans?" a voice booms from behind her. She spins around to find Puck, an obviously not so happy Puck, behind her.

"Seriously? I _just_ had that talk with Santana."

"So are you?"

"No, Puck. I'm not with Sam," she tugs the lock down, opening it. "How did you find out about that anyway?"

"It's all over that Jacob kid's blog," he said, waiting for an explanation.

"Great," Quinn muttered sarcastically, shutting her locker door close. "I'm not with Sam, okay. Now would you please leave me alone?" she pushes past him.

She was running late for her next class and seeing Puck just reminded her of last year.

**...**

Quinn couldn't bring herself to interrogate Sam about Jessica earlier. He wasn't hers. They weren't together. He had all the right to date anyone he wanted. After talking for a little in the living room, Sam excuses himself so that he could go to his room and take a bath. She waited until he was in the showers before she made her move.

Quietly, she turned the knob of his door and pushed it open. His clothes were carelessly strewn on the floor in front of the toilet. Last week, she spent every moment they were together ignoring him. Now, she's sneaking into his room, fishing around his jeans for the sheet of paper. _There!_ She felt it inside his right pocket. His pants fell to the ground as she unfolded the small sheet of paper. It was exactly as she suspected. Her phone number with a flirty 'call me' on the bottom.

Crumpling the paper or tossing it away would be too suspicious. His pocket was quite deep and he surely wouldn't lose it. She thought for a while – sitting on the edge of his bed, paper in one hand. Inside the toilet, the water was running and Sam was singing a song by The Script. She had to think fast. How could she 'accidentally' destroy it…

As the idea pops in her head, she jumps to pick up the rest of his clothes from the floor and even the ones inside his laundry basket. She carries the armful of his clothes all the way out of his room and to the closet where they kept the washing machine. She dumps all of it inside, not forgetting to 'accidentally' leave the sheet of paper inside his jean pocket. Detergent. Set the time. Start. If ever she felt guilty of anything, it was not segregating the whites from the colored. _Oh well…_

Quinn plops down on the sofa, listening to the rhythm of the washing machine, doing her dirty job for her. After a couple of minutes, and a few rinses, the washing machine goes on its last cycle. She hears a door open and Sam comes out of his room, his skin glistening with water and his hair damp. Only a towel wrapped around his waist kept him from being naked.

"Did you get my clothes?" he asks her.

"Uhhh yeah, I was walking by your room and I saw them on the floor. I was gonna do laundry anyway so I decided to do yours as well," it was all a lie. First of all, his door was closed. Second, her mom always did the laundry.

"Oh, okay…" he nodded. "It was just that I had something in the pocket in my jeans…"

"Oh no! I didn't check. Was it important?" she faked concern.

"Nah, it was nothing," he grinned before heading back to his room to get clothed.

He couldn't see it but Quinn had a victorious smile on her face.

**(March 21, 2011)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay! I finally get to update this!**

**Sorry if this chapter is kinda short...but atleast we finally get some Sam/Quinn action and a little sneaky!Quinn too HAHA**

**There's a new episode later and I'm so excited!**

**Don't have anything else to say! Review, please :)**

**I'm off to bed! It's 3:40AM here and I have to get up in 3hrs and 20mins for school! Yikes.**

**...**

The girls' locker room was alive with chatter. While some were discussing the developments of their routine for their competition, other were discussing the developments in their love lives. Quinn entered the locker room, duffel bag slung around her shoulder. Aside from glee and seeing her friends, cheerleading practice was one of the highlights of her day. All she needed was to do was to drone out Sue's sarcastic remarks and petty fights of the younger cheerleaders.

Throughout the course of her pregnancy, none of her teammates on the squad gave a damn about her. Even Santana saw it as an opportunity to usurp the position of head cheerleader from her and Brittany was just too clueless about the gravity of her situation. None of the cheerleaders qualified as a good friend to her.

"Can you believe that guy? I gave him my number and he doesn't call me at all," she heard that cheerleader Jessica whine to her friend. She wasn't the eavesdropping type but today, she was all ears as she pretended to look around her bag.

"He's probably shy...or he could've lost it, you know," Lisa, a freshman cheerleader, tried to come up with reasons for her friend. It was the usual locker room gossip between the cheerleaders before practice.

"Lost it? Please. Any guy would treat a sheet with a Cheerio's phone number on it as if it were a winning lottery ticket."

_That's true_, Quinn nodded. Zipping her bag up and smoothing her uniform, Quinn was ready for practice. She approached the two cheerleaders standing by their shower room lockers.

"Hey girls!" Quinn spoke up with forced enthusiasm. "What's the buzz about?"

"You know that new kid, Sam Evans?" Lisa tightened her ponytail. Sue with her army-like training had made a big deal about keeping the cheerios hair in tight, neat ponytails.

"I am familiar…"

"He totally ditched Jessica the other day-"

"He did not ditch me. He just didn't call," Jessica looked away from her mirror to butt in.

"Are you sure you wrote down the right number?"

"I'm not stupid. I know my own number," she replied, her attention reverting back to retouching her make-up.

"Just asking," Quinn sat down on one of the benches. She waited for the other cheerleaders to finish fixing themselves before practice. She smiled, satisfied that she was able to prevent from Sam having to date a self-centered and hollow-minded cheerleader. He deserved better than that.

"Maybe I wasn't clear when I sent him some signals. I think I should talk to him later after practice…"

"Maybe you should, Jess…"

"Maybe you should just forget about it," Quinn muttered under her breath. _This girl just can't take a hint, Quinn thought to herself._

"You said something, Q?" the younger cheerleader crossed her arms around her chest, eyebrow raised.

Quinn stood up and made her best HBIC stance."First of all, only my friends and Coach can call me Q. Second, maybe Sam didn't call you cause he's _not_ interested."

"You're one to talk especially since no one's interested in you anymore after you got kicked out of the squad last year," Jessica was quick to reply.

"I'm on the squad right now," Quinn said

"Yeah but not as captain anymore…and we all know that no one cares about you since you fell from that position," Jessica smirked, stuffing back her make-up kit inside her duffel bag and placing it inside her locker. She pulled her friend by the arm. "Come on, Lisa. We don't want Coach Sylvester to be waiting on us. I'll call Sam after practice."

…

Like any other school day, the second Quinn arrived at home, she dropped her bag by the foot of the couch and plopped down on it, resting. It won't be long until Coach Sylvester would put her back as captain. She did her best to outdo everyone at practice – she could jump higher, tumble faster and cheer louder than the rest. It must have burned Sue to compliment her earlier but what can she do? Quinn was in perfect shape.

"Looks like someone's home already," Sam entered the living room, fixing his shirt. It wasn't his usual get up of a shirt and jeans. He seemed to have really dressed up as if he were on a date.

"Heading out Sam?" Quinn propped herself up on the couch, picking up a faint smell of his cologne as he sat down beside her.

"In a while," he answered.

It bugged her that he wasn't sparing any other details but she wasn't shy from asking. "Where to?"

He sighed, resting his arms on the couch. "You know that cheerleader Jessica? She gave me her phone number last time but I lost it?"

Quinn nodded. She knew where this was leading to.

"Well, somehow, she managed to get a hold of my number and she asked if I wanted to hang out with her tonight."

"You seem really dressed up," Quinn poked his arm. "You like her?"

"Well," Sam stroked his chin, thinking. "I don't know."

Sighing just loud enough that only she would hear, Quinn patted Sam on his arm before standing up and picking her bag off the floor. She was longing for a nice, warm bath and it seemed like Sam was gonna be on his way in a while anyway.

"You don't mind if I go out right?" he asked right before Quinn could leave the living room.

She turned around. "No, of course I wouldn't. Why would you think that?"

He scratched the back of his head, thinking out his words before he spoke. "Your mom said she's gonna be late tonight and I don't think there's food for dinner. I wouldn't want you to be alone here. I mean, I could cancel on her if you want and we could hand out tonight-"

"Sam," she smiled. "Go, you're starting to talk really fast."

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I just wanna make sure you'll be fine."

"I can take care of myself," she assured him. "Besides, I can always order delivery. You go enjoy your date."

**…**

It's was 6:20 on Sam's watch and although only 20 minutes have passed from the agreed time they were to meet, he had a feeling that she wasn't going to show up. The snobby waiter, Luke, had asked him three times if he wanted to order, the last one he ended with 'I'm sorry but I don't think she's showing, dude'. Honestly, Sam didn't want to go out in the first place. Aside from the fact that it was a school night and he had homework that were left half done, Mrs. Fabray had left the house saying that she would be late. He knew it was wrong to harbor this secret crush on someone he was living under the same roof under but could you blame him? Quinn was beautiful.

"So, what's it gonna be, man? We have other customers waiting to be seated. You ordering or what?" Luke, the waiter, was starting to get pissed off already.

"You're really not in a good mood, are you Luke?" Sam replied. "Give me five minutes, she'll arrive."

As the young waiter walked away to attend to another table, Sam thought about what would be the least embarrassing option. Should he walk out of the restaurant after sitting there for almost half an hour or order dinner and eat by himself, the guy who got stood up. He took out his phone to send another text to Jessica but like the 13 other messages, he received no reply. After waiting another five minutes, Sam decided to sneak out of the restaurant, hoping that no one would notice him leave – especially that annoying Luke. He eyed the doorway, counting down to when he would make his exit. _3…2…_ The door opens and in comes a familiar face though it is not the one he was waiting for.

"Quinn," he seemed surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I wasn't in the mood for pizza or McDonald's so I decided to drive out and eat," she replied, surprised to see him as well. She looked around for another person that should have been sitting at the table. "Where's Jessica?"

"I don't think she's gonna show," he said. "Care to join me? I don't wanna seem like a lonely loser. Besides, there's this waiter who's been bugging me. I'm pretty sure he'll be back here in a while."

"Okay," Quinn agreed, slipping into the booth opposite Sam.

Just as he had predicted, the waiter returned, looking as if to kick Sam out of the restaurant if he wasn't gonna order.

"Dude, we can't have you- oh, she did arrive," Luke sounded disappointed. He noticed that this time, Sam was accompanied by a girl – a very attractive girl, no less. He put on a smile, ready to take their orders. "Good evening, miss. I'm Luke and I'll be your server for tonight."

The young waiter seemed to be dazed by Quinn's beauty. He stumbled as he tried to hand out the menus to the two customers and forgot the names of the dishes.

"Will this be all?" he asked, awkwardly noting down the orders.

"I'm so glad you came," Sam admitted. "The guy was really starting to get on my nerves."

"He seems nice."

"That's because you're pretty," Sam muttered. He didn't like the way Luke hung on to Quinn's every word, looking at her so concentrated.

"So you think I'm pretty?" Quinn blushed.

"Well…you are…exceptionally more attractive than the regular person…" his words were failing him but somehow it was working because she was smiling as he tried to make sense.

"Thank you, and I also think you are exceptionally more attractive that the regular person as well," Quinn told Sam. After they had shared a small laugh, silence fell over them. Sam was looking at Quinn, her smile was perfect as ever. Everything about her was perfect and all he could do was sit back and just watch her.

"I'm glad Jessica didn't show up," Sam said, looking down at the table. "I'd rather have dinner with you instead of a lousy date with her."

"I'm glad she didn't show up, too."

After the bill was settled – by Sam because he insisted – the two left restaurant in Sam's car. They didn't want to drive home in separate cars so they agreed to ride in one car and go back for the other the next day. Being inside his car was starting to become comfortable for Quinn. If anything, she like riding with him. She liked being seen with him. _She liked him._

Yes, she finally came to terms with the fact that she liked him. From the friendly conversations they have when they see each other in school, to the afternoons they spend watching one of Sam's sci-fi movies, to the dinner they just had earlier…Quinn liked Sam though he never tried to make a move on her all night. It was driving her crazy.

"So, Thor came out on theaters already. I heard it was great," Sam started a conversation again with mentioning the comic-based movie that he had been waiting for.

"Mhmm," Quinn replied, not entirely interested in what he was saying.

"I've been dying to watch it. I'll probably catch it this weekend."

"Yeah."

Sam turned to check on Quinn for a quick second. "You okay, Quinn? You seem kinda quiet."

"I'm fine…just tired, you know," she lied. The truth was, she was busy looking at him.

"Don't worry," he said. The car was starting to slow down. "We're already home."

Turning her attention to outside her window, they were indeed at the Fabray residence already. She could feel the groaning at the pit of her stomach, unsatisfied of the night. Sam had eased the car inside the garage and shut the engine down. Quinn, on the other hand, still wasn't ready to alight from the car. She still wanted more.

Sam unbuckled the safety belt and gathered the few things he had brought with him – a wallet and his cellphone.

"Let's go?" he turned to Quinn who still hasn't moved from her seat.

Just as he was about to open his car door, Quinn grabbed his arm to stop him. "Wait!"

"What's wrong?"

"I-uhh…haven't thanked you for dinner."

"Nah, don't mention it. After all, I have been living-"

His words were cut-off as Quinn pushed herself towards him, her lips on top of his. Sam was too surprised to react. At first, his mind wasn't fast enough to process that he was kissing Quinn Fabray. He was kissing Quinn Fabray! The second he realized it though, she had pulled away, biting her lower lips, looking a bit apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know why I did that."

"I've gotta say, that was the best thank you I've ever gotten," Sam was breathing heavily, his heart racing. "I don't understand…"

"I really like you, Sam," Quinn said straightforward.

"I really like you, too…"

**…**

"I can't believe that you would do that!" Jessica barged up to Quinn, standing by her locker in the hallway. The younger cheerleader had her hands on her hips and seemed pretty upset.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Quinn drew out her books for her next class. She had a grin on her face, remembering the other night. She and Sam had spent the night kissing on his bed until they heard Judy's car parking in the garage and Quinn had to sneak back into her room.

"You went out with Sam last night. So that's why you didn't want me to go out with him!"

"It wasn't a date," Quinn replied defensively. She wasn't lying. It wasn't a date. She hugged the books to her chest and faced the girl beside her. "We just decided to have dinner last night."

"Ugh," Jessica groaned, annoyed. "I lost both my phone and my guy yesterday. This sucks!"

"Look, Jess. Sometimes you just have to accept that guys don't go after girls who are so easy. Now why don't you head on to your next class 'cause I don't want to be late for mine," Quinn shut her locker and left.

Jessica stomped in the other direction, probably off to her next class. Quinn peeked behind her to make sure that Jessica was out of sight. The Cheerio was no longer in the hallway. Quinn turned at heel, headed towards the opposite direction of her next class. Just before she could turn in for English, she needed to make a stop at the girls' locker room.

It was empty. She slowly entered the locker room, her footsteps echoing off the tiled floors and walls. She went down the aisles of lockers, double checking that she was alone. She faced her locker and went a couple locker doors down from hers. After inputting the number she had written down on the palm of her hand, the locker door opened upon pulling it towards her. Slipping it out of her pocket, Quinn gently placed the black iPhone that had belonged to Jessica back inside her locker. _Sorry Jess, I just had to borrow it for a night!_

**(May 4, 2011)**_  
_


End file.
